


Daisy World

by baeconandeggs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: BAE2017, M/M, Minor Violence, minor gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 05:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10984785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs
Summary: When two stray individuals find each other in an universe of black and white, magic happens.





	Daisy World

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR: peachy_rain  
> PROMPT #: 595  
> 
> 
> Disclaimer: The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Author's Note:First of all I would like to offer a huge thank you to my beta who helped me tremendously along the way. If it weren’t for you who knows where this story could’ve went. Also, thank you to the prompter who wrote this amazing prompt. I may have went off the track a bit regarding some elements of the story, I hope you won’t mind too much. Thanks for reading!

This definitely wasn’t how he imagined the past- not that he wasn’t satisfied or anything. But nothing appeared like images within history textbooks where streets were paved in concrete tiles and skyscrapers were built on solid ground. Perhaps the past was far different from what he learnt when Baekhyun was still in high school. Or maybe, just maybe, he was sent to the wrong time period.

The thought merely flashed across the said male’s mind as he scanned his surroundings. 2020 was the period Professor Kim Joonmyeon said Baekhyun would be sent to (“Hopefully in one piece”, the professor joked with his usual teeth-gleaming smile). Maybe it was just his memory, which couldn’t recall the specific details, like the empty streets where almost zero human life could be seen, or the fact that sky was occupied by purple zigzags as each one’s disappearance was followed by a booming roar. Ah, he also didn’t have a roof above his head, and that felt rather different for a change.

Living in the 25th century provided Byun Baekhyun the glass shell that engulfed his safety beneath a thick see-through roof. For all his life, Baekhyun had never seen the real sky, apart from live footages that displayed across the expanse of school smart-boards when they were unused. It was as if he lived in a bubble, along with the rest of his generation. From child, to adolescent, to the raw beginning of his adult life, which the majority he spent cooped within walls of the university dormitory, the college student was never truly exposed to the ‘real’ world. So this assignment was good in a way, because for the first time, Baekhyun could prove he needn’t that shield of barrier to survive.

Over a four month stretch, he would be sent to a different time period, the first being one that was in the past when most things still relied on human labour. As an honourable pupil in the field of science and robotics engineering, Baekhyun could almost gladly say that he had no problems meeting the assignment’s aim, which was to investigate the development of robots during a past period, and bring back appropriate examples. What concerned him more, were rather the questions of where he was going to live? What if he couldn’t blend in? The university offered enough money to each student in Baekhyun’s class in the form of a silver card that could withdraw any type of currency, so that wouldn’t be an issue.

Lost in thoughts, Baekhyun took few hesitant steps forward. He could just take his time, find his way around first, and then look for the closest campus site where he could find what he needed. The plan sounded decent so far. Although he felt uncertain if such place contained a university at all.

Baekhyun’s hand that was pulling the handle of his luggage felt sticky, as if the sweat turned into glue, and plastered his palm against the warm plastic. This may be why he struggled to open the doors to the inn (at least he assumed it was, from the exterior), since his other hand wasn’t particularly strong.

Stepping inside, Baekhyun scanned the interior. Despite everything else within the place, from the group of men whispering to each other in silence while occasionally squinting their eyes at Baekhyun, to the girl in the corner with hair draped over her face, to the two bartenders who were moving so in sync with each other, their movements almost seemed unreal, the university student’s eyes yet managed to lock onto the paper calendar hung on the furthest wall.

8th of April, 2704

Not 2020.

It was wrong. IT MUST BE!

There was no way Baekhyun was sent to the 28th century. The portals never made a mistake in delivering people to another period. The calendar was faulty, yes, definitely.

Flustered, Baekhyun stumbled across the bar, until his hands were pressed against the surface of the bar counter. Both bartenders stopped at once, and it seemed as if two pairs of eyes flashed in bars of red. The university student shook his head. Was there a side effect to time leaping?

“Eh, may I ask what year this is?” He questioned after clearing his throat.

Please let it be 2020. Please! That voice within Baekhyun’s head pleaded.

“2704.”

Oh.

Hands fumbling to take out his communication device, which was out of charge- FOR FUCK’S SAKE was the heavens playing a joke on him or something!? Why did everything have to go wrong the moment he arrived at another period WHERE HE DIDN’T KNOW A SINGLE THING!?

And to think just a moment ago, Byun Baekhyun thought this was a great chance to experience something different.

He had nowhere to go. As Baekhyun pulled his luggage out of the inn, he felt lost. Where should he head? The communication device charged itself every four hours, which was, rather inconvenient for his case considered how urgent he needed the tool.

Baekhyun noticed how the foreign district was uncomfortably quiet, as if it was only an empty shell that disguised a cemetery for a town. Without much thought the university student headed back toward the inn. He was desperate, yes. And he was also a little hungry, and eager to earn some rest. Time leaping was straining both physically and mentally.

The two bartenders, upon witnessing his return, turned to each other in acknowledgment. One of them stepped out from the bar counter and walked toward Baekhyun.

“Um.” The university student uttered sheepishly. “Can I get a room for one?"

The other merely nodded, before taking out his hand that held a small room card as if he already expected Baekhyun’s request. As he took over the object, Baekhyun noticed how the bartender’s hand seemed so tense and rigid, like it was just metal covered by human skin. The bartender gave the university student a final nod before stepping away.

Baekhyun’s room was on the second floor. He rode the old elevator, which seemed on the verge of deterioration and let out an ear-deafening screech the moment it stopped.  Honestly Baekhyun didn’t expect too much. Judging from the rather worn interior of the first floor, he knew the second level wouldn’t be much better. But that grimace on his face definitely didn’t form on purpose. He was just too used to glossy floors and walls that weren’t stained by something suspiciously brown.

“It’s all about the experience.” Baekhyun quietly chanted to himself.

As he stopped in front of his room, and peered down the dim hallway, the university student suddenly felt uneasy. He wasn’t sure why such a feeling appeared. The door clicked open after Baekhyun pressed the card against a small black screen.

Was it true that he was actually in the future? Because everything, from the chairs in the inn to the structure of the guest room, seemed nothing contemporary, as if every display of furniture was pulled from a historical film set. What if those bartenders fooled him?

No, that couldn’t be it. Baekhyun let go of his luggage before falling face down onto the bed. At least it’s comfortable, he thought to himself. For now he could only wait for the communication device to charge itself, and hopefully ask for help from the university. There was so little he could do especially in a place he knew nothing about.

The future. As a small curious child Baekhyun loved to picture the future. It would be popping in colours he had never seen before; with the most advanced technologies humans could ever create. But just then, what he saw with both of his eyes were far stretched from his dreams. The streets were lifeless and dull, without the presence of a single bloom of pigment.

But that couldn't be the complete picture! The university student thought with determination as he sat up straight. Suddenly, he felt energetic, excited even. The future. The future! The term suddenly lit up Baekhyun’s face. There were so many things he could explore! So what was he doing cooped up in a motel room?

The moment Baekhyun stepped outside, the first drop of rain landed on his coat. As if it was burning acid, the university student panicked while lifting up the material so it wouldn’t touch his shirt and skin underneath. And in an instance, a sheet of raindrops landed on him, each one continuously followed by another.

Baekhyun yelped in horror. Was this downpour going to kill him!?

He must’ve appeared foolish to the bartenders inside, who quietly watched him with interest. Before he could further overreact, one walked to the door with an umbrella.

When Baekhyun took over the strange looking object from the bartender’s hand, he was confused. He assumed the curved part was the handle, and it seemed logically enough to reach for the small button like thing near the handle-

The stick-like object suddenly bloomed open, like a flower in those fast-forward documentaries. Baekhyun could only stare in awe, despite the fact that he was almost soaked in the rain. What could he do with it? It seemed as if the wind heard his question, as a breeze blew the umbrella until it was right over Baekhyun’s head.

Ah, that’s it.

Down the road he walked, carefully and almost hesitantly. Baekhyun drank in every detail he passed, anything that could mark the route in case he got lost. He had never strayed far on campus before, and even if he did, it was impossible to get lost with so many people to ask directions from.

Here, right on what he assumed was slightly cracked ground, there was no form of other human life in sight. Baekhyun marched in the opposite direction of the inn. The further he travelled, the fewer buildings came into sight. He must’ve walked to the boarder of the town (at least he supposed it was one) when no more buildings were in sight. Ahead of Baekhyun, cracked ground gradually grew into flaky dull earth.

The sight before him was unclear. The downpour became heavier, painting what was ahead into a blurry image. But Baekhyun didn’t want to stop there. There was an urge within him, pushing him to move forward. It wasn’t everyday when he could explore the future, let it be the real one or not.

So forward he went. Baekhyun was glad he followed his instinct because soon enough, the blur of raindrops formed into something almost recognisable. A factory? Or so it seemed. Baekhyun wouldn’t know for sure, since he had never witnessed one in real life. Maybe what his parents said was true, that his entire generation was trapped within glass shell.

But what was a building doing in the middle of nowhere? It was a question that briefly lingered on Baekhyun’s mind as he wandered inside. The structure was abandoned, its entrance gates shedding into bits of rusting metals. Rainwater leaked through the shabby roof.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Each sound was followed by the university student’s footstep. He aimlessly wandered around, fleetingly peering down at everything unrecognisable beneath his feet. As the most intelligent robotics-engineering students of his bunch (or so his professors said), Baekhyun felt the slightest bit of satisfaction that he could tell that he was stepping on metal segments. But most pieces were charred, as if a fire broke out some time before he arrived. Black- it was everywhere within the interior of the factory.

Baekhyun stopped before what seemed to be a door. He looked around even though there was no one inside aside from himself. With both hands he pulled open the door, which released a loud creak. Unlike everything outside, the room appeared unaffected by whatever happened. Baekhyun noticed with curiosity that large shelves occupied the expanse of the room. He flicked on the light, which still thankfully worked.

Almost every drawer (which he had to pull extremely hard, since they were terribly heavy and big) was empty, much to Baekhyun’s disappointment. Only a few nails were found. Baekhyun’s assumption may have been correct. This was probably a factory.

As he stared down at the last drawer, Baekhyun scrunched up his nose. What if there was nothing inside? Would that mean he wasted all that time for nothing?

But no, he couldn’t give up now, especially when he was up to the last one. In movies, the surprise was always hidden in the last treasure box. So with all his strength, Baekhyun dragged out the very last drawer until it was completely separated from the shelf.

He was correct

The drawer was, in fact, completely full. Baekhyun could only blink with wide eyes, so absolutely shocked with his discovery. There weren’t just mere pieces of nails within the drawer this time, no, what was inside was a thousand times more worthy than that. He could only be dreaming, Baekhyun thought as he harshly tugged his hair.

It hurt

A hand tightly grasping over his parted mouth Baekhyun took a step back. No. No it couldn’t be.

At least this proved he was definitely in the future, because this could only be merely an imagination during his own time period. Within the drawer was a pile of dismantled segments, _robot segments_. They looked nothing like the test objects in the labs of Baekhyun’s university. These ones looked like they were ready to function once pieced together, with absolute exclusion of any faults. What shocked him the most was the headpiece. Baekhyun desperately wished he could cover it up with something, because it seemed as realistic as a real human head.

“What the hell am I supposed to do now?” The university student more or less uttered to himself.

~*~

Baekhyun wasn’t sure how in the world he did it.

He could’ve gotten lost within this town, and with no one to call for help it was likely he would have died here too. He also could’ve been punished for taking everything with him, despite the fact that he didn’t pass a single soul on his little ‘adventure’.

The moment Baekhyun was back inside his room, with his clothes soaked from the rain (he stopped caring if it was acidic or not) and hands flushing red, he felt excited. It was the type of excitement that made him want to suddenly swirl around in little circles, and also the type of excitement that made him smile for all the right reasons. Baekhyun peeled off his umbrella, which he placed on top of the drawer while he dragged the large thing through deserted streets. The bartenders threw him curious looks when he entered the elevator, dripping wet and with a cubic box by his side.

The fact that he was sent to the wrong time was long forgotten. All Baekhyun wanted to do right now was to take out every segment he'd found, and so he did.  He blinked at them in awe. Over the full expanse of his double sized bed, those pieces lay. Baekhyun knew nothing was happening, but it almost felt like every segment was flashing with life.

He wanted to reassemble them.

He wanted to do it so desperately.

The thought was overwhelmingly spontaneous for Baekhyun’s body to respond, as the university student merely stared at the bed with hands clenched into fists. No, there was no way he could rebuild all… that. Not a chance! Not… not in a million years-

You know those times when your body performed the exact opposite of what your brain was telling you? Well, that was the precise case right now, as Baekhyun knelt down and studied the nearest segment. It seemed like part of the forearm, he decided before reaching for his suitcase next to the bed.

He knew he made the right choice by actually listening to his professor’s advice (unlike some others). Baekhyun’s toolbox, with everything he needed to construct simple models back in the labs, was hidden beneath layers of cloths. He realised that it may not help him at all, but it didn’t hurt to try.

On the bottom of the drawer remained some small cylindrical objects. There were so many of them, all in different sizes. Baekhyun thought they must be the nails. I can do this! He quietly cheered for himself. Byun Baekhyun wasn’t gifted the ‘Genius’ title by his peers for no reason, right?

With a slow release of breath, he started.

~*~

Chanyeol’s life came in specific parts.

In the first part, everything came in the shapes of blurry zigzags. Most of them were in a shade of turquoise, and sometimes the very occasional reds. Truthfully, he couldn’t recall much of the first part. His brain and everything else was still under construction, which could explain for the lack of activity.

The second part was much more exciting, with Chanyeol gaining the abilities to see and hear. His head was complete, and memory chip ready to function. Within the four walls of the factory, Chanyeol saw all sorts of strange things. Everything was moving so fast; he couldn’t decide where to look at. And that was, before he was set on pause mode.

The third part arrived a lot more sudden than the previous episodes. Chanyeol was abruptly thrust to life. He had no experience, no long-term memories. Nothing, but a single purpose, the sole reason to his existence. In the very back of the line, Chanyeol trailed behind other new humanoids, as they marched through the far-stretched hallway until reaching a dark door. That was the entrance to their dormitory, where they would rest each night as part of the parliamentary security squad. Chanyeol learnt he was now in the government’s Capital headquarters.

He was taught all sorts of things, aside from what was already programmed into his system. To protect the governmental officials at all cost. And that was exactly how Chanyeol spent his time in the third part of his life.

Then came the fourth part. This part, the humanoid wasn’t so sure if he wanted it to remain in his memory. But it did. The imageries were still clear as if everything occurred the day before, the perks of being a robot. He failed the monthly test, which assessed the squad’s abilities and skills in case one of the humanoids was faulty so another could replace it. Unfortunately, Chanyeol was the faulty one in his bunch. It was the last test -close combat- and a glitch appeared in the humanoid’s system. Before he knew, he was pressed to the ground.

 A truck sent Chanyeol somewhere beyond the borders of the Capital and he thought that was it- the end. He couldn’t live up to his purpose, which proved him useless. Chanyeol had no time to reflect what had all occurred, before he was shut off for good.

And now, the fifth part, a part the humanoid believed shouldn’t actually exist. It must’ve been a hallucination; maybe there was more than one part of him that was broken. Chanyeol’s eyes blinked open as he eyed his surroundings. It was rather dark, compared to the blinding interior of his final destination before he was dismantled. He could sense the existence of another within this room. A boy who appeared to be in deep slumber was merely inches away from him. That was when Chanyeol realised he was lying on a bed.

The humanoid abruptly sat up and stared down at the other. The boy was sitting on the ground, but rested his head on his arms, which were placed on the mattress. There seemed to be something in his right hand, so Chanyeol took a closer look.

A small screwdriver

 _Did he reassemble me?_ The humanoid wondered for a brief moment before a loud vibration disrupted his thought. A flash of blue followed as it lit up the far corner of the room. The noise awoke the boy, who mumbled words Chanyeol could not perceive while rubbing his eyes in a tired manner. It took a lengthy moment before he realised Chanyeol’s presence.

“AHHH!” Baekhyun jumped back in fright. He blinked with wide eyes, mouth gaping open.

No, he was still dreaming. Wake up!

And with that, the university student slapped his cheeks. …Ouch.

Oh my god. For the love of Jesus Christ he did it. HE FUCKING PROPERLY REASSEMBLED THE ROBOT! As the humanoid scanned his entire being with turquoise flashing eyes, Baekhyun nervously gulped. What should he do? What should he say? It seemed the robot was waiting for his next action as he sat firmly.

So Baekhyun awkwardly lifted up his hand. “…H-hi.”

The other didn’t offer a reply. Instead, he turned toward Baekhyun’s open luggage. The university student followed his gaze and saw the flashing of his communication device.

Almost four days Baekhyun had spent on reconstructing the humanoid. How contented he felt when the robot was finally in one piece. As he closely examined its chiselled features, Baekhyun couldn’t help but think how human-like it appeared. It was scarily realistic; something all people from his time would gawk at in awe.

And just before the monster of sleep could grasp onto his ankles, Baekhyun sent a message to the university and explained his unexpected situation.

They must’ve replied him just then.

Forgetting about the humanoid for just that brief moment, Baekhyun eagerly jumped before his luggage and pulled out the device. Indeed, there was a message.

_Such issue should have been reported immediately. However, we received your message four days after your arrival. All pupil are to remain in a past period for 3 months minimum, extensions can be discussed. One cannot break the rules for personal reasons and thus return with the task uncompleted. If such action is executed, the pupil shall receive 0 as mark for this assignment. As a kind reminder, this task weighs 50% on your semester’s report._

_Sincerely, staff of Robotics Engineering_

They didn’t believe him. Baekhyun threw the device back into his luggage in annoyance. If only the gadget was fully charged before his time-leap. Now he couldn’t go back until 3 months later! 3. Fucking. Months.

Chanyeol could almost witness invisible steam rising from the other’s head, as the smaller male slowly turned around and stared long and hard into Chanyeol’s eyes.

What does he want? Thought the humanoid with agitation.

The staring contest lasted for almost a minute or so, before Baekhyun tore off his gaze and released a frustrated grunt. He was stuck here, the future, where he knew nothing of and could possibly-

 _Hey! The humanoid. He is from this period_ , thought Baekhyun as he stood up gradually. Maybe he can even help me with this assignment!

With light steps Baekhyun skipped in front of Chanyeol, who threw him uncertain glances.

“Hey,” The university student uttered. “what’s your name?” If the robot had one, that was.

There was a short pause. The humanoid seemed to be debating with himself if whether he should reply.

“…Chanyeol.”

He has a deep voice, Baekhyun decided while giving Chanyeol’s entire being another good scan. With broad shoulders and slender legs, the university student wondered how tall the robot really was when he stood up.

“Well hello Chanyeol.” Baekhyun offered a small smile. “My name is Byun Baekhyun. And if you are wondering, yes, I am the one who put you back together.”

“Wha-”

“No need to thank me!” The human boy cut him off with a cheery grin. “I know it was kind of me to do so. I mean, technically I just offered you another chance at life.”

Chanyeol remained silent. He could already feel Baekhyun slowly getting on his nerves.

They exchanged simple introductions of each other (extremely brief on Chanyeol’s part) and Baekhyun decided that the humanoid didn’t like to speak much (or rather he didn’t want to talk to Baekhyun). The university student explained where he came from and how he got there; Chanyeol remained composed throughout the entire conversation, occasionally nodding at Baekhyun’s words.

“And now I’m stuck here for three months at least.” Sighed Baekhyun, who closed his eyes and fell back onto the soft mattress. He made a small thump.

 _Chanyeol could make good company_ , thought Baekhyun. All the excitement of actually discovering functional robot segments erased all thoughts and questions from his head, like what he was going to do with the humanoid if he did manage to put it back together. Now, as Baekhyun blinked at the empty ceiling, he realised he had absolutely no idea. And that was a shame, really, considered for Chanyeol’s capabilities.

“Say,” he suddenly sat up. “what can you do?”

The humanoid looked rather confused. “I beg your pardon?”

“You know. What your abilities are, like, can you operate underwater? Can you shoot laser beams with your eyes? Can you… read minds?”

The last question was a little ridiculous, and Baekhyun knew Chanyeol was thinking of that as he stared at him with a blank face.

“The first one, yes. But the other two you mentioned, don’t be stupid.”

Baekhyun squinted his eyes. _A sassy robot, I see_.

“I was made to be the exact mechanical copy of an average human, except with some physical advances.” Spoke Chanyeol. “So stop staring at me like I’m a lump of talking metal.”

The human immediately retorted, “I’m not!”

~*~

Perhaps it was a good idea to walk Chanyeol around the place, despite the fact that Baekhyun merely arrived here a few days ago and was still a bit lost himself.

What instantly met the human boy as he stepped outside was the scent of dampness. It was always raining, from small drizzles to drenching downpours. Maybe it had always been raining during Baekhyun’s period too, but he just never knew.

Looking over the fact that Chanyeol had never been to this place (Baekhyun assumed), the humanoid was rather good at directions and finding his way around. That could only be because his memory could last for at least a few decades and serving back in the Capital required decent navigation skills.

It turned out, according to the humanoid, the inn was situated on the outer part of this town, which could explain for the lack of residence. Baekhyun could only trail slightly behind Chanyeol under the shared umbrella as they travelled toward the town centre.

 _I hope we won’t get lost_ , thought the university student. But somehow, travelling with Chanyeol gave him a sense of security, as if the humanoid had the navigation system implanted in him. There was always a strange feeling every time Baekhyun peered up at those broad shoulders. There was something about Chanyeol, despite the aura of confidence he clearly possessed. Baekhyun couldn’t quite grasp on what it was.

Each step they took brought them nearer to the town centre. Chanyeol was correct about the geography of this place. Gradually, they passed by people. At first there were only one or two, but soon enough, Baekhyun found himself travelling amongst dozens of others. Somehow the discovery of other beings gave him a feeling of relief. At least he wouldn’t die here in solitude.

“How did you know there is a town centre?” The human boy questioned.

Chanyeol halted for a second, before resuming on his steps. “Disposal factories in most cases are located on the outskirt of districts. You said it only took you around an hour on foot to locate one, so I assumed the inn was somewhere near the outskirt.”

He’s quite smart, Baekhyun thought, a lot smarter than he initially believed. After all, this was the future. The technology must be so advanced; machines could technically handle anything. Yet, through Baekhyun’s own eyes, he didn’t find anything jaw dropping or exceptionally advanced aside from the humanoid in front of him. To be completely honest, as he roamed about the streets of this supposed future, it was rather the absolute opposite of his imagination.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel a little disappointed.

“It’s so quiet.” Whispered Baekhyun.

“Yeah.”

He didn’t expect the other to hear him and reply. Despite all the people on the street, no one was speaking. They all moved in determination toward a direction, all in a similar speed as if someone programmed them to do so, so they could act like… like robots.

The human boy rushed beside the humanoid. “Are they,” He spoke, a little hesitantly. “are these people… actual people?”

Chanyeol paused and looked down into Baekhyun’s eyes. Aside from dark zigzags of turquoise the smaller couldn’t see anything through the other’s orbs. He blinked in anticipation.

~~

The humanoid never took him seriously. From the very first word that jumped out Byun Baekhyun’s mouth, to his spontaneous behaviours, to the way his lips would curl into a tiny sly grin, Chanyeol believed this was all an act.

Because in this world, all kinds of courtesy, all sorts of kindness, were performed for some kind of purpose. Right now Chanyeol may not know Baekhyun’s motive, but there was one thing he was definitely sure of – that the boy certainly did not reassemble him just for the sake of fun. There must be a reason, and Chanyeol was yet to discover it.

The boy spoke of himself as if he was some exotic being that came from another universe. It annoyed the humanoid. How dumb does he think I am? Chanyeol thought with agitation. He chose not to inform Baekhyun much of his own background, deciding that a stranger’s empathy was not worthy of any value.

Once Chanyeol figured out what was the boy’s real motive, he would escape. He was constructed by machines, and deconstructed by humans. If he stayed with this boy much longer, who knew what he could do to him?

With that thought on his mind, Chanyeol travelled through the streets of the town with fast pace. He knew Baekhyun was trying his best to catch up to him, since they only had one umbrella. It was good that the boy stayed quiet for majority of the trip and soon enough, they were nearing the town centre.

“Are they,” Chanyeol knew Baekhyun halted on his steps. “are these people… actual people?”

Was he actually serious? Chanyeol couldn’t decide if this human boy was just oblivious or if he was naturally dumb. Then again, he did reassemble the robot, so the second choice may be inappropriate to assume.

With a sigh, Chanyeol turned back. “You only realised just now? This whole place is filled with humanoids like me.”

It seemed as if the other discovered a whole new country. “W-what!? Even back in the inn-”

“Yes.”

The other peered at Chanyeol with shocked eyes. The intensity almost made the humanoid flinch in discomfort. Then it came to his mind. Maybe, just with the smallest possibility, this boy was telling the truth. Perhaps he was truly from somewhere else and arrived here by accident.

~~

This all made sense.

This was why those bartenders were so in sync with each other. Just to make sure, Baekhyun stared into Chanyeol’s orbs. He knew it was no use anyway since the other was a humanoid, but just to make sure if he was lying…

No he wasn’t

Even if Baekhyun’s couldn’t clearly see it, certainty flowed through the air that surrounded Chanyeol. Suddenly, Baekhyun felt he was exposed to a whole new universe. With great thrill he ran through the mass of humanoids, dashing past each and every one of them with gleam in his eyes.

A society of robot! The thought was almost too overwhelming for him to handle.

This surely wasn’t what appeared in his dreams, because this had far surpassed everything within. People from his time would have no idea! That humanity reached the level of advancement to establish a world where humans and machines could live side by side.

And maybe this was why Chanyeol was so human-like, Baekhyun thought as he returned in front of the humanoid with a joyful jump. The other could only look at him as if he had gone mad. And maybe that was the case. The quick thumping of Baekhyun’s heart further widened his grin.

“Oh my god. OH MY GOD!!!” He shook Chanyeol by the shoulders but the humanoid didn’t even slightly flinch by his force. Instead, he stood firmly on the ground; large hands grabbed onto Baekhyun’s shoulders and forcefully swung him around.

“Stop.” A low whisper ran down the boy’s ear. “People are looking.”

Those hands on his shoulders started pushing the university student forward. The handle of the umbrella, without it being held, poked Baekhyun’s back as their pace fastened. More and more humanoids appeared on the street, which further roused the excitement within Baekhyun.

“Keep your giggles down will you?” The humanoid uttered. “And try to blend in with everyone else.”

But Baekhyun just couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. “Why?”

He could hear Chanyeol sigh. Now the streets they passed by were shielded by a worn see-through cover, so the humanoid closed the umbrella and pushed it into Baekhyun’s hands. He then dragged the human boy into a deserted alley.

“Because, in case you haven’t noticed, humanoids especially in these remote districts are not fond of humans. There were barely signs of other humans on the streets we passed through.”

Baekhyun was confused. “What… what do you mean?”

Chanyeol stared into his eyes. Again his eyes didn’t display it but the atmosphere was so serious and quiet. It was as if those orbs were blaming Baekhyun’s sole existence because… he was a human.

“I was made by machines, but thrown away by men. In wherever you came from, things may be different, but here, humanoids will forever be below humans. That’s the social hierarchy, since humans are the ones who created and designed us. Even though majority of robots can function like an average human being, we will always be seen as a huge dump of metal. That’s why barely any humans live in these towns. They all live in the Capital, where they can have anything they want. They threw all the humanoids they don’t need into these distant regions so we won’t bother them.”

W-what? Baekhyun thought in confusion. This wasn’t right. How come the future turned out like this? A single robotic hand during his period could be technically worshipped by his entire university, so this, this so-called future where humanoids paced the nation… it wasn’t right.

And, Chanyeol mentioned something about him being abandoned by humans. Baekhyun had wondered but never had the chance to ask; also the humanoid seemed unwilling to tell him.

Why was he in pieces in the first place?

But maybe this wasn’t the best time to question, decided Baekhyun as he peered at Chanyeol’s tensed shoulders, the way his hands clenched into tight fists. Perhaps the university student should have never asked about the other citizens in the first place. He was stupid not to realise their bodies were covered by the same material as Chanyeol.

Now, with his back to the other, the humanoid gradually stepped away from that particular dark spot. It was as if he was trying to run away from Baekhyun, his steps picking up their pace one after another. But the human boy ran after him, until his hands clenched around Chanyeol’s arm and held him back. The humanoid swung around, but Baekhyun had his head down. He didn’t know why he was asking this.

“Do you… do you hate me too? Since I’m a human-”

“Look,” Chanyeol cut him off sharply. “what do you want?”

The smaller took a nervous step back after the humanoid harshly brushed off his hands.

“What do you want from me?”

“I-I don’t understan-”

“Then why did you reconstruct me!?” Chanyeol lunged at Baekhyun’s frightened form, towering above him with his height advantage. “Don’t pretend I’m stupid. There must be a reason!”

To say he was scared was an understatement. Baekhyun was terrified, petrified even. Because that look on Chanyeol’s face transformed him into someone threatening and intimidating, beast-like even, as if he were to rip Baekhyun into halves then and there. The human boy could merely blink at the humanoid with wide eyes in the state of shock.

He was right

What was Baekhyun’s purpose in reassembling Chanyeol?

Just for fun? No, that wasn’t it.

“I-I…”

Those artificial orbs waited for his answer.

“I don’t know.”

Was he going to hit him? Lash out at Baekhyun? Burn him alive with laser beams??

Baekhyun could only squeeze shut his eyes, hoping for the pain to last for only a small instance. But the blow never came. Instead, the moment when Baekhyun’s eyelids hesitantly fluttered open, the giant form of the humanoid long disappeared. Those around him didn’t spare him a single glance as they resumed on their paths.

Rather than relieved, which was what the human boy should feel, he was worried. Baekhyun frantically moved aimlessly through gaps between robots, seeking for Chanyeol’s silhouette that seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Chanyeol could not ditch him! H-how was he suppose to head back without his directions? And Baekhyun spent so much time and effort on rebuilding him, even to the extent he missed his opportunity to head back to the university. A seed of determination planted itself within Baekhyun. He wasn’t going to let the humanoid leave like this.

Thin arms pushed their way through the surrounding artificial beings. Baekhyun’s eyes scanned everywhere, but Chanyeol was nowhere in sight. It was starting to look a little hopeless when the university student found himself within a building amongst many others. He couldn’t get out, with all the humanoids crowding in.

The place seemed like a small arena, with a rise platform in the centre of the structure. All the streets in the town centre led to this place, the heart of the district. Baekhyun could suddenly feel the nervous thumping of his heart, as if something unpleasant was going to occur. And to add to this, he couldn’t catch a single glimpse of Chanyeol.

Slowly, few figures moved onto the platform. It wasn’t hard to identify the robots with dark clothes that covered their heads, or at least Baekhyun assumed they were robots. Their hands were bound behind their backs by steel chains; the place suddenly fell silent as those chains swayed back and forth.

In the next minute it became apparent what they were going to do. The click of the gun was sharp and neat as one humanoid fired the bullet against the roof. Baekhyun could feel the place shaking, or maybe that was just himself. It seemed as if everyone around him was keen on witnessing the next occurrence as they inched forward to receive a better view.

The gun. This wasn’t right.

Why would you need a gun to kill humanoid-

Blood spluttered across the platform, staining the dusty ground with warm scarlet streaks. For the strangest reason everyone around Baekhyun cheered, as if something great just happened.

But Baekhyun wanted to scream. The urge of shrieking ‘BLOODY MURDER!’ was barely held in as he gaped with horrific fright at the scene before him.

They… they killed her, a human, just like himself.

Then came more gunshots, so terrifyingly loud Baekhyun could feel the pierce through his eardrums. His sight gradually became blurry with the build up of tears. W-what if he’s next. What if he were to die here too!? Chanyeol did mention all that about the grudge between humans and robots. It was true. He was right.

Baekhyun’s legs gradually fell limp. He didn’t want to stand anymore; he didn’t want to watch anymore. But with the crowd around him, there was no doubt he couldn’t go anywhere until the mass of humanoids were dismissed. The human boy felt nauseous as humanoids threw hard objects at those limp bodies on stage.

_P-please don’t kill me… Let me live just a bit longer._

Black occupied Baekhyun’s vision.

~*~

“Just leave.”

Those were the first words that entered Baekhyun’s ears when his eyes blinked open. The lighting was much different, compared to what he remembered from the last location. There was soft mattress under his weight, which could only mean… he was back in the motel room.

Baekhyun abruptly sat up, gaping at Chanyeol who stood with his back facing him.

“Just leave this place and go back to where you came from.” The humanoid uttered.

Suddenly, everything Baekhyun saw inside the arena flooded his brain. The human boy’s frame shook with horror.

“T-they… they killed them.” He whispered, eyes glassy and grey. “Those humans… they shot them, one by one.”

Chanyeol was silent.

“Why!?” screamed Baekhyun as his hands clenched onto the bed sheet. “WHY!?”

“You really have no idea, do you?” The humanoid turned around. His expression was a mix of anger and resentment. “You don’t belong in this place. Just hurry up and go back to where you came from before you become one of those lifeless bodies people threw rocks at.”

Baekhyun really couldn’t help the tears sliding down his cheeks. He normally wasn’t such a crybaby. “I told you, I can’t do that! I’m… stuck here, all because I tried to fix you and missed my opportunity to go back!”

“Then why didn’t you just let me be?! They deconstructed me for a reason. Why didn’t you just leave me there? Why did you reassemble me in the first place!?”

“Because I wanted to!”

Silence.

“There wasn’t a purpose in it. There was never a purpose to start with! I did what I did because that’s what I wanted, and I don’t regret it, even if I can’t get back to my own era. Why is it that everything must have a reason for you? Can’t people just do what they want simply because… they just want to?”

Chanyeol turned around. His form was stiff. Baekhyun wondered what he was going to say, maybe quoting how stupid he was for spurting so much crap-

“Okay.” Came out as a small whisper from the humanoid. The human boy was confused and surprised at the same time. “Okay. Maybe, maybe you are correct. I apologise for assuming your intentions.”

…Huh?

“Look, you collapsed in the arena and I caught you just in time before others could notice. So… think of this as my apology, in a way. Now it’s even between us.”

~*~

Baekhyun was nosy, and Baekhyun was naïve. He was just like a small child who was yet to see the world for real. In the past week the human boy didn’t dare to step out the room, except for the occasions when he stepped downstairs to grab something to eat.

Chanyeol always found him getting impatient when Baekhyun repeated unnecessary questions like “why do robots drink and eat anyway? It’s not like you guys actually need it” or “what’s the point of building toilets in these rooms when you people don’t even use it?”.

But during very, very few occasions, the human boy would stare out the small window at the endless rain outside.

“It’s like the sky is constantly crying.”

And Chanyeol himself, he stayed with Baekhyun. He could have long ditched him, but considered the fact that the human boy was the one who gave him another chance at life, Chanyeol made a decision. He would stay by this boy’s side, until he leaves. In one hand, Chanyeol needn’t feel guilty about not returning the favour, and in another, he would have a temporary place to stay, even just for a short period of time.

As the humanoid turned his gaze away from the blurry view outside, a pair of curious orbs suddenly came to sight and inched closer, as if the human boy wasn’t close enough.

“Say,” He uttered, face mischievous and unpredictable. “would you perhaps… know a bit of hacking?”

Chanyeol stared. He stared for so long he hoped Baekhyun could feel somewhat uncomfortable in his position with such small proximity between them. What was he going to do now? Was this not enough? Being stuck in a single place because he could be possibly killed by any second in this town. Maybe where Baekhyun came from, people were just nuts in general.

The humanoid pushed Baekhyun away. “No.”

The university student didn’t look convinced. He stretched himself across the bed, rolling back and forth, “You are no fun!”

Chanyeol didn’t take the bait. But he was aware enough to notice Baekhyun taking out something akin to a laptop, except much out of date compared to the ones he saw used by human politicians. Suddenly Chanyeol was interested, or rather, oddly eager to hear more about Baekhyun’s background. Maybe the human boy’s spontaneous spirit was contagious.

“You know,” The humanoid spoke. “about what you said before, where you came from and such. It’s… actually true?”

“Well, did you think I was fooling around?”

“Yes.”

Baekhyun landed a jab on his metal chest, only to remember it’s not soft human flesh and winced in pain. “You didn’t have to reply so fast.” He rubbed his elbow with a scowl. “And of course it’s true. Like I said, they were supposed to send me to the past but instead I leaped into the future. Do you think I would enjoy sending myself on a suicide mission just to fool around with you?”

Chanyeol didn’t reply.

~~

As he waited for his laptop to load, Baekhyun thought again about how Chanyeol was dismantled once. And never once had he mentioned why.

And that was when the human boy realised it wasn’t fair how the humanoid knew more about him than he did of the other. From their first encounter to this very moment, Chanyeol had never expressed his hatred on humans, in contrast to every other robot he described. But that was excluding the time when Chanyeol mentioned something about being disassembled by Baekhyun’s kind.

So why?

Ten minutes ago, the university student had a rather impulsive thought. He wasn’t just going to lie around for the rest of his time here, so maybe he should use what was in his luggage just for the sake of killing time. Hacking was something Baekhyun picked up in university, although it wasn’t something he could exactly brag about. The human boy loved challenges, and what was a greater obstacle than decoding and breaking through firewalls?

Yet now, Baekhyun had little interest in the hobby. With his mind occupied by a thousand questions, the university student leaned toward Chanyeol to the point their noses were almost touching. Yes, he cared little for personal space, and he loved to show that to the whole wide world.

“Enough questions about me. Why were you dismantled?”

The humanoid seemed taken aback enough to lean back, let it be from the close proximity or Baekhyun’s sudden question.

“Why do you want to know?” Retorted Chanyeol.

Baekhyun shrugged. “Well, you have never mentioned anything about it before…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

The human boy frowned. Why did the humanoid appear so agitated by this topic? Was he just a big sensitive baby?

“Fine then.” Baekhyun decide he could just ask another time. “But if you want me to let it go, that means you must help me whenever I ask you to! You know, give me something else to occupy my time with.”

~*~

It was past midnight. With his body covered by the thin blanket, Baekhyun sighed. He couldn’t sleep.

For most of that day he tried to connect a golden rectangular device, which allowed him to teleport, to his laptop. To his limited knowledge Baekhyun knew the university especially set the time onto the gadget for this assignment so pupils wouldn’t return back before the due date. Even if there was no guarantee he could access anything, Baekhyun tried his best in changing the set time on his given device. Chanyeol assisted him here and there but as he expected, by the end of the day there was hardly any achievement.

The human boy peered across the room at Chanyeol who sat on the chair with his back facing him. Baekhyun wondered what he was doing, what did humanoids do at night to occupy their time. Because surely, he couldn’t be sleeping.

As best as he could, Baekhyun quietly stepped away from the bed. It wasn’t raining outside right now, surprisingly. Everything was so deafeningly silent. Baekhyun purposely tapped his fingers lightly against the window just to hear some sound aside from his own breathing.

This was the perfect chance to head outside.

He prayed that no robots roamed about the empty streets at night. But even if there was a high chance Baekhyun could get caught and possibly be tossed straight onto his deathbed, the human boy still wanted to head out. He had been trapped inside for so long after all, and he would love to take in more images of the endless sky, let it be grey or not.

In two months and a few weeks, he would be gone. This would all just become a part of his memory.

Chanyeol too.

But right now with all the time ahead, this was merely a thought, one that lingered through Baekhyun’s mind for a particular second and gone the next. Before he realised, Baekhyun was gradually leaving the silhouette of the inn behind. It was so dark outside. The existence of day and night was obvious to Baekhyun, but he was never truly revealed to the reality of midnight, that time of the day when only the stars supposedly shined as noiseless company. This suddenly made him realise just how much he was shielded from everything in his own world.

Despite his own lack of safety, Baekhyun was beginning to see the perks of his faulty time-leap. At least everything here was making him think more deeply about stuff he never cared too much for.

The human boy was too deep in thoughts to hear another’s footsteps slowly travelling toward him.

“You shouldn’t be out this late.” Muttered Chanyeol.

H-how did he find me? Baekhyun marvelled. He certainly did not expect the humanoid to notice his lack of presence. Baekhyun almost let out a tiny shriek of surprise when Chanyeol abruptly sat down next to him on the dumpy earth.

“Look up.” The humanoid whispered.

Baekhyun followed his instruction. In awe, the university student’s eyes shone bright as he witnessed a scene so mesmerizing beautiful. There appeared to be twinkling eyes, which spread like a sparkling blanket over the expanse of black sky. Never in his life had Baekhyun caught such lovely view.

He suddenly felt a little sad to remember that this would all be gone in 3 months. But nonetheless, the human boy observed with a gaping mouth.

“Wow.” He whispered in awe.

He gradually sat down beside Chanyeol, who seemed to be looking at something else in a far distance.

“From where I came from,” muttered Baekhyun, “you would never find anything like this. Unless you travel far, far away from human civilization.”

“Why’s that?”

The university student shrugged. “For all my life, I’ve been living under a dome. I have never seen the real sky before I arrived here, as ridiculous as that may sound to you. We would never know why the government decided to keep everyone inside, maybe to fence us from harm or something.”

“Well that’s…” Chanyeol paused. “A little sad, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know. I mean I never knew what the actual world looks like from the world I live in anyway.”

“Nor did I, before I was disassembled.”

Upon hearing this, Baekhyun sat a little straighter. How much he anticipated for Chanyeol’s next sentence.

“The government, made up of humans like you, especially designed robots like me to protect their safety. So basically, I was purely made to perform the job of a security guard. This also meant if I failed to perform my job, there was no point in keeping me..” Chanyeol turned to face the other. “So now you know why I was dismantled. I couldn’t meet up to their standards and therefore, those humans threw me away.”

Baekhyun took in every word, the way they escaped from the humanoid’s lips as if he was tossing away painful remnants of the past. The emotion in Chanyeol’s voice was hard to make out, but it was still there. This moment made Chanyeol so human-like that he could easily fool anyone from Baekhyun’s period.

~~

Chanyeol wasn’t expecting a reply. In fact, he was about to stand up and leave Baekhyun. He just wasn’t used to this, opening up to someone else about himself. It was one thing he never needed to do in the Capital.

Just when the robot lifted his body from the ground, a hand wrapped around his wrist. Chanyeol glanced down at Baekhyun in surprise. The hand felt oddly warm against the steel of his wrist, it was a good feeling.

“Don’t let that get to you.” Baekhyun uttered as he looked up at Chanyeol. There was a small smile gracing his lips. “Apart from when I reconstructed your segments, you have always been a human to me. In fact, you are more than capable of being human. So don’t let whatever happened in the past get to you. It was only one small obstacle.”

Was it right for Chanyeol to feel somewhat comforted by the smaller male’s words?

~~

They grew closer in the next few weeks, with Baekhyun working on his so-called ‘hacking’ with mighty effort. Since the human boy couldn’t go outside and Chanyeol didn’t want to interact with other humanoids here, they ended up spending a lot of time together and speaking more to each other. For the first time, Chanyeol honestly spoke his opinions, the good the bad and the uncertain. And as a change to the stuffy short replies he often repeated each day back in the Capital, the humanoid actually enjoyed their conversations.

He also helped Baekhyun on some small parts of his assignment, guiding him here and there with what his brain could offer.

Chanyeol would never say this out loud, but he was extremely grateful that Baekhyun happened to be the one who found him in that abandoned factory, and also the one who decided to reassemble him.

Ah, Chanyeol also discovered that Baekhyun was extremely touchy, or maybe he somehow became like that over time. Every once in awhile, the humanoid would find a soft hand resting on his shoulder or squeezing his hand, as if the human boy was trying to reassure him. But of what, he didn’t know.

Sometime during the night on Baekhyun’s sixth week here, the robot found himself being pulled by the wrist by the human boy until his knees collided against the border of the motel bed.

“Sleep here from now on. You go on the left side and I go on the right.”

Chanyeol was so very much confused. “Huh?”

“I-It’s creepy okay!? The way you just sit there every night…” Baekhyun mumbled while facing away from the robot.

Without uttering another word, the human boy lied down and pulled the blanket over his small frame. From this angle, Baekhyun looked so vulnerable and small. Maybe this side of him had always been exposed to Chanyeol, but the humanoid never took notice.

Was it time for him break down the walls around himself too?

So Chanyeol obeyed the other’s order. He rested his body onto his side of the bed while facing the back of Baekhyun’s head. The warmth from the human boy spread to the robot, engulfing him in an indescribable cocoon.

I wonder what he is thinking, Chanyeol thought to himself. Surely, he wouldn’t have realised the way he loosened around Baekhyun. It was as if the human boy was gifted with a sort of magic that somehow melted away Chanyeol’s icy cover. Or perhaps the humanoid was never as ruthless as he deemed himself, just because he was trained to be tough, to withstand any obstacles and protect the safety of others from the very beginning.

With all these thought in mind, Chanyeol didn’t notice the movement of the blanket as Baekhyun turned around. Even within all this darkness, the smaller male’s eyes shone so prettily.

“What are you thinking?” The question snapped the humanoid away from his thoughts.

He replied, “Nothing in particular.”

“Hmm.” Baekhyun didn’t seem convinced. “But if it’s about your past again, just forget it. It’s not important anyway.”

Chanyeol looked away. “Easy for you to say.”

As those words left his metallic lips, soft hands found their way clasped over Chanyeol’s own. They were small, and a little cold since it started raining outside again, but despite all that they offered Chanyeol a lovely feeling, a silent genial cheer.

Baekhyun’s orbs were filled with warmth and tenderness. “I’m serious. If it’s bothering you then just forget about it. At least to me, it’s not important anyway. Like I said before, you are more than capable of being human. With so much emotion and feeling, it’s almost impossible for anyone from my time to see you as a humanoid. So stop thinking about it.”

Chanyeol wanted to say he wasn’t thinking about that, but it just felt so nice to hear Baekhyun’s honey like voice, which was just so sweet and lovely, praising him.

With Baekhyun, the humanoid learnt so much about this world and himself. He needn’t a single purpose to survive and strive forward, and it was acceptable to share his opinions. With Baekhyun, Chanyeol looked forward to tomorrow.

~*~

“Would you go with me to the past?” The sentence sure sounded a lot better when Baekhyun practiced it inside his head. The question was so out of the blue, as he could tell from Chanyeol’s stunned expression.

The university student had a long thought about this. All he could recall was that blank expression on Chanyeol’s face as he lied on the bed that night. Baekhyun wanted to see him smile so badly, even just for a split second. He could tell that the humanoid was unhappy here, so what was better than taking him back to Baekhyun’s own time?

There was also that small selfish part of Baekhyun that desired to keep Chanyeol by his side. The human boy didn’t know why, but the humanoid possessed this effect, which progressively pulled Baekhyun in closer and closer to the point he wished to see the world from the robot’s perspective. Back in the arena, Chanyeol saved his life and the university student was desperate to pay him back, despite the way the humanoid called it even between them.

But it seemed the proposal was too abrupt and out-of-nowhere, as Chanyeol still hadn’t responded.

“Please, think about it.” Pleaded Baekhyun. “I’ll still be here for a few weeks. So there’s no hurry for you to make the decision now.”

Say yes, please! Inside his head the human boy begged. He really wanted this, for Chanyeol to be by his side. It hadn’t been a very long time since they have known each other, but Baekhyun had already grown attached to the humanoid. Even though he never said much, Baekhyun could always tell that he too was happy with Baekhyun’s company. And if so, wasn’t it right to remain with each other?

Chanyeol still gave no reply.

~~

What should he say? Yes? No? Chanyeol couldn’t make the decision.

He had never expected such question from Baekhyun. Each day passed by so quickly with the human boy, the robot had almost forgotten about the sole reason why he was there in the first place. There was a limit to time, as the sparkling sand within their hourglass escaped grain by grain. Chanyeol needed some time to think.

His initial decision was no. It was the first thought that came to his mind. There was certainly no way he was going to leave this place. It was… it was where he belonged. Just because Baekhyun offered didn’t mean he must accept. And what was Baekhyun to him anyway? Was he a temporary companion? A stranger? A friend?

Or perhaps he was none of the three. Baekhyun was just Baekhyun, the human boy who was intelligent enough to rebuild a humanoid purely based on his own instinct. Chanyeol could argue Baekhyun was merely an annoying kid, yet at the same time, he was also a phenomenal being who recognised the good in others.

But Chanyeol was a humanoid. And out of all the flawless features there was one thing he lacked – the ability to immediately recognise his emotions. So it never quite occurred to him that he was growing fond toward Baekhyun. Those small conversations they shared before bedtime, the human boy’s whines at Chanyeol not helping him with the laptop and every event that existed from the moment they met to now, was it normal for one to feel good just thinking about another person?

Chanyeol didn’t know.

He didn’t know.

~*~

There were only two weeks remaining before Baekhyun’s return to his own time. During the period between when he announced his request to this very day, Chanyeol acted as if the question was never asked. Baekhyun could say he was growing agitated, because at this rate it seemed highly unlikely Chanyeol would agree to leave with him.

The university student felt down and a little disappointed. Was it because the humanoid didn’t trust him? Or maybe he never liked Baekhyun as a person. Perhaps from the very beginning, Chanyeol was just with him because he had no choice, since Baekhyun thrust him back to life without a single warning.

 _STOP!_ Baekhyun yelled at himself sometime during the night as he suddenly sat up. Chanyeol wasn’t disturbed next to him, thankfully.

He only had two weeks left, so he should make the most of it instead of sitting around and worrying. Also, this was up to Chanyeol so even if he decided to say no, Baekhyun must respect that.

The next day, Baekhyun woke up with an early start.

“I have decided,” He spoke between toothbrush strokes. “since this is my second to last week, I’m going to go outside again.”

Chanyeol blinked at him. “Ha ha, very funny.”

“I’m serious!” The human boy stomped his feet. “I want to see the sky again while I still can.”

“What if you get harmed?” The humanoid stood up with hands on hips. “Do you have any ideas what can possibly happen to you!?”

As if he heard nothing at all, Baekhyun resumed his steps to the door. But before his hand could reach for the handle, strong metallic fingers firmly wrapped around his wrist and the human boy was completely swung around.

“Did you not hear me!?” Chanyeol demanded with a harsh voice.

“Then come with me.”

The humanoid stared down at him. Moments especially like this one, Baekhyun wished for Chanyeol to just be an average human being like himself. That way, he could at least be able to recognise the expression the other’s face, or guess what he could possibly be thinking.

Chanyeol shook his head. “No, at least, not now. I’ll go with you when it’s night time again.”

~*~

When the rain finally stopped outside, the sky was pitch black. In a way, it was good because Baekhyun needn’t to worry about sharing an umbrella with the humanoid, not that he minded or anything. In fact, it felt rather nice when the university student stood beneath the plastic cover next to someone he could reply on, someone who offered him a sense of security even if everything that existed between them was still so unclear.

The human boy happily skipped out the inn, never minding the glances sent to him by the bartenders. Even if he was a human, even if he was risking his life, with Chanyeol next to him Baekhyun felt like he was free to do anything. There was just this feeling that Chanyeol would be the one to catch him if he ever fell.

Maybe this was exactly how they were to each other. Screw the number of days they lived in each other’s company, it didn’t matter. The two always watched out for the other, even if they were merely strangers two months and a few weeks ago. There must have been an invisible connection between them, which closed off a little distance every chance one of them opened up a little more to the other.

Perhaps their relationship needn’t a title. It was… just fine the way it was.

“What are you going to do once you go back?” It was the first time Chanyeol spoke of the topic since Baekhyun’s suggestion of them heading together.

Rather than ‘you’, the university student wished he mentioned ‘we’ instead.

Baekhyun simply shrugged as he further charged forward toward an uncertain destination. It was so dark beyond him, just like the awaiting future. That was fine though, because Chanyeol was still by his side right now.

“Baekhyun I-”

“What are we Chanyeol?” Baekhyun suddenly turned around and cut off the humanoid. Out of determination, the human boy clenched his hands to the point they were flushing pink. “What am I to you?”

_Tell me, so I can leave without regret._

Chanyeol stood firmly on his spot. Despite the dark lighting, Baekhyun finally saw the humanoid’s eyes physically soften for the very first time. Those turquoise streaks gradually changed into a soft blue, so gentle and peaceful.

“I don’t know.”

But there seemed to be a small smile gracing Chanyeol’s lips. Baekhyun’s wish came true after all. He saw the humanoid’s wonderful smile.

“Why’s that?” Slowly, the human boy took small steps toward the other.

The humanoid didn’t back away. Instead, he stared right into Baekhyun’s eyes, which were searching so frantically through his own.

One word, a gesture, anything. Baekhyun only wanted an answer.

Time must have frozen in place. Baekhyun was so tempted in searching for the response that he leapt forward. Nothing went properly through his mind, yet at the very same time all his memories with Chanyeol flashed across the blank space of his brain. It was so strange, this feeling, as the human boy further leaned up toward the startled humanoid-

Ah, could it be… love?

A pair of soft lips collided against cold metallic ones. It was merely a touch between warm flesh and solid, yet soft metal, yet wild butterflies still managed to occupy every expanse of Baekhyun’s stomach. Chanyeol remained unmoving, a little disappointing to Baekhyun. But the humanoid didn’t push him away either. Baekhyun could tell the other was still quite taken aback, so he decided to pull away.

“So?” The human boy didn’t try to hide the blush on his cheeks. “What about now? Do you know your answer?”

~~

Chanyeol was in a daze.

They said a kiss was symbolic of love between two individuals.

Baekhyun kissed him a second ago.

And even if he didn’t want to admit, Chanyeol liked it. He liked it a lot. Did this mean Baekhyun loved him? That… that wasn’t possible, right? There was no way someone like Byun Baekhyun would have affection for a humanoid like Chanyeol.

The situation was just so ridiculous.

Baekhyun demanded for an answer for the second time, and Chanyeol was just as much unprepared as the first time, if not more. What could he say after Baekhyun did that? Was the feeling supposed to be mutual between them?

Chanyeol felt frustrated. He was only a robot, why in the world must he figure out emotions and feelings!? This wasn’t his forte and would never be.

But as the reply to Baekhyun’s question, the humanoid slowly nodded. No matter how he described the way he saw their relationship, Chanyeol knew the human boy would let his answer lead on to his next question, which was - if Chanyeol was going to leave with him.

Did he want to leave this place? Yes and no. Yes, because he had nothing here, nowhere to go and nowhere to stay. It would definitely be great to head somewhere where he could start anew, especially with someone like Baekhyun by his side. And no, because he felt afraid, afraid of a foreign environment, afraid of people who had never witnessed someone like him, and afraid that Baekhyun would abandon him the moment they arrive on the other side because he needn’t Chanyeol anymore.

The decision was up to him.

The humanoid opened his lips.

“To me, you are a human, a human who gave me another chance at life, a human who made a point in proving my worth in this world. For most of my life I worked for humans. I never liked them, not a single one of them. But then came you. You, Baekhyun, who shown me another side to mankind, the side filled with good and warmth. You see, I’m not too good with this kind of thing… I was never trained to speak of my emotions and thoughts-”

“That’s enough.”

Chanyeol didn’t realise he spoke with his head down until he looked up to gaze at Baekhyun, who was sporting the most beautiful smile he had ever sighted.

It was almost… hypnotising.

The human boy’s voice was so soft and peaceful. “Thank you.” He uttered. “Thank you for offering me your answer.”

~*~

There was a small shift under the blanket. “Hey Chanyeol?”

“Yeah?”

“Have I ever told you about my parents and friends?”

“Eh no. No you haven’t.”

“Well, you see, in where I come from, your so-called parents don’t actually have to look after you. All schools, from preschools to universities, they all contain dormitories established by the government. My parents were more empathetic than most, having me live with them until I turned 16. They always mentioned that my generation is spoilt to the max and that all of us are just living inside a bubble. As for my friends, I didn’t have many. The closest thing I had to a friend was Professor Joonmyeon. Even though I tried so hard in making friends with people around my own age, everyone else was just too cooped up in their own worlds. I suppose you can call my generation extremely selfish.

“What I am trying to say is that before I found out I was sent to the wrong time, I considered this assignment as a way to challenge myself, to finally see the world for real and maybe make a friend or two. I have never been this close with anyone else in my life, not even my parents. Ah also, that was my first kiss, so consider yourself very, very lucky.”

“…So, do you think you achieved your goals?”

“For the first part, I honestly don’t know. I never expected any of this. In fact, I still feel like this was just part of a very long dream. To think the future would actually turn out like this, I don’t know what to think. But I wish it never became this way between humanoids and mankind. And as for the second part, yes, definitely.”

“That’s… that’s good to hear.”

~*~

“Baekhyun you still up?”

“I am now.”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said a few weeks ago, about going with you.”

Silence.

“I guess you thought I won’t give you a proper answer, but I have never stopped thinking about it. I think I made my decision now.”

“Okay... Alright.”

“The reason I hesitated is because I feel lost of control. I don’t know where this will lead us, that is, if we still manage to stay together after the time-leap. Here, even despite the fact that I don’t have a particular place I truly belong to, I know the directions where the rest of my life can head. But, before I met you my life consisted of nothing but routines. Another party assigned everything to me and I never had the chance to live for myself.

 “So I think it is time for me to live for real, like what you mentioned about witnessing the real world for yourself. In my case I just want to live just like an average human being, even if my entire form is made up of different materials of metal.

“And to do that, I must be with you. Because you are the only person I can rely on to guide me and the only one who is willing to accept me as who I am. There are still so many things I don’t know and so many tests and problems I cannot face by myself. So, let’s go to your time together, and even just for a little while let’s stick together and help one another-show each other all the vivid colours to life.”

Heavy weight unexpectedly landed upon Chanyeol. The next thing he knew, Baekhyun’s lovely smile was all he could see.

“Thank you!!” The smaller male squealed as his arms wrapped around Chanyeol’s neck. Baekhyun planted his face onto the hard surface of the humanoid’s chest and whispered, “That just made my day! You have no idea how happy I am.”

At that, Chanyeol too smiled.

“Me too.”

~*~

Time leaping was a lot less exhilarating than Chanyeol expected. But with Baekhyun’s small but nonetheless warm hand within his own, he didn’t particularly mind. The human boy merely pulled out a gold rectangular object after leaving the inn. They travelled to the place where Baekhyun first arrived, which was that empty field near the abandoned factory.

“Hold my hand.”

Chanyeol was hesitant at first. “Why?”

“So we can both travel back in one piece.” There was a mischievous grin on Baekhyun’s face. “And I also just want us to hold hands.”

Baekhyun’s other hand tightly clutched the device. The university already set the destination so he needn’t to do much work. Just a press of the buttons-

All sorts of lights flashed across the visions of the pair. Shining reds, neon greens and dull blues. The weight of their bodies no longer existed and what was underneath their feet felt hollow and fragile. Baekhyun mentioned how much he hated the experience before they leaped and Chanyeol could see why. Even as a humanoid his body felt strange, so he wondered how Baekhyun could handle this as a human with flesh and bones.

When they finally reached the other side, it was so much brighter than the previous location. From the smell of artificial chemicals and fresh detergent, Chanyeol could tell he was in something close to a laboratory. This must be Baekhyun’s university, he thought.

There was this indescribable excitement within him, yet at the same time there was also a sensation of alarm swimming in the pit of his stomach. What was going to happen now?

The door to the room suddenly opened, revealing another male in white laboratory coat. He seemed a few years older than Baekhyun and gaped at the two newcomers in shock, especially at Chanyeol.

“Hey professor.” The human boy merely casually waved at the said male, as if he didn’t have a complete humanoid next to him. “I’m back.”

“W-well.” Professor Joonmyeon stuttered, as he seemed to be at a loss for words. “I hope you had a… nice trip. Would you mind to explain what’s going on?”

Baekhyun eyed Chanyeol, who stared back at him with nervousness.

“You see professor,” Started the human boy. “I was sent to the wrong time. Instead of the past I somehow leaped to the future. There is so much to tell you! In the future the society is filled with both humanoids and humans. How fascinating is that!?”

“No Baekhyun.” The professor warily glanced at Chanyeol. “I’m asking who this is? Why did he come out of the portal with you?”

The said university student’s mouth formed into a small “O”. “This is Chanyeol. He is a humanoid from the future.”

“And? Why is he here?”

Chanyeol didn’t like where this conversation was heading.

“Because…” Baekhyun was the one to be at a loss for words now. “Because I wanted to bring him with me.”

The frown on the professor’s face didn’t form unnoticed. Chanyeol’s grip on Baekhyun’s hand tightened slightly. The human professor now appeared to be thinking hard about something.

“I need to discuss this with the other professors first.” He uttered. “You are the first pupil to return from the assignment. I.. eh.. hope you completed it well. You may head off now.”

As Baekhyun led Chanyeol through countless corridors, the humanoid felt uneasy. What was the professor going to discuss about? Why did he seem so anxious about Baekhyun’s return? But it appeared that Baekhyun didn’t notice any of that. Chanyeol could just hear him humming a small quiet tune as they halted in front of a large metallic door.

“This is my room.” The shorter male grinned as he opened the door. “Ta da!”

Baekhyun then spent most of his time unpacking, with Chanyeol’s eyes never leaving his form once. It was as if the humanoid was afraid if he looked away even for a split second, the human boy would disappear into thin air.

So this is the place he belongs to, thought Chanyeol still gazing at Baekhyun. There was a sense of peace and ease to the human boy’s movements. The humanoid was at least glad that the other was finally back home. He never had a proper home of his own. The capital wasn’t his home, or anywhere else in the world where Chanyeol came from.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Baekhyun’s hands were gentle as they landed on Chanyeol’s shoulders. His face popped in front of Chanyeol.

The humanoid considered every feature of the human boy. So beautiful, especially up close when he could detect the slightest hue of pink on Baekhyun’s cheeks. He always had that peaches and cream complexion, which Chanyeol adored more every passing minute he spent beside the smaller male. The humanoid wondered why it took so long for him to appreciate every little detail about the other.

Chanyeol shook his head and smiled back. “No reason.”

He didn’t want to display his uneasiness to Baekhyun. He wanted to witness more of the smaller male’s happy self because it was so delightful to watch the other travel about with freedom and comfort. And if Baekhyun was happy Chanyeol was happy.

Was this what love was about?

Perhaps.

They spent the rest of their day within Baekhyun’s room, crammed on his single bed. They spoke about what was going to happen next. The human boy gleefully announced he was going to show Chanyeol the entire campus, and maybe even bring him to visit his own parents. It was as if Baekhyun had their entire future planned ahead; Chanyeol could only nod slowly as his reply.

He indeed made the right decision by remaining by the human boy’s side, the humanoid smiled to himself. He pondered if Baekhyun thought the same-

There were harsh knocks on the door. The person outside must be so impatient. Actually, there may be more than one person. Chanyeol could hear multiple pairs of footsteps outside. He nervously looked over at Baekhyun.

But the other seemed nonchalant, merely hoping off the bed to open the door. Chanyeol suddenly had the urge to stop him, to yell for Baekhyun to come back. But it was too late when the human boy turned the doorknob and revealed ten people, eight of them armed and the other two being laboratory professors, one of them was professor Joonmyeon.

“Professor?” Baekhyun called with confusion. “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Byun, we would appreciate your full cooperation.” The other profession answered instead. Her voice was scary and full of authority.

Baekhyun frowned. “I… I don’t get it.”

“Baekhyun, what you've found, Professor Joonmyeon started, we would like to take him away for research purposes.” A bony finger pointed toward the robot in the far corner of the room.

Slowly, Baekhyun stepped back with his small arms shakily shielding Chanyeol behind him. “What are you going to do?”

The female professor seemed agitated by so many questions. “You needn’t to be concerned of that.” She took a step forward, followed by everyone else except professor Joonmyeon.

“Baekhyun, please don’t make this hard for us.” He uttered with his usual gentle voice.

Chanyeol could recognise fear and alarm reflecting from the human boy’s frame. Baekhyun remained on his spot firmly shielding the humanoid from the others.

“No.” He said. “You can’t take Chanyeol anywhere unless you tell me what is actually going on.”

The humanoid could almost see what was going to occur next. At all cost he must protect Baekhyun-

“Then I guess you are leaving us with no choice.”

In the next instance, three men forcefully held Baekhyun against the nearest wall. The remaining men all charged toward Chanyeol. Yes, the humanoid was trained to fight off intruders and protect people, but in a situation where someone he dearly cared so much about was in danger, he lost all his concentration. At first he managed to knock down the first two men, but at the sound of Baekhyun crying in pain from struggling to get away, Chanyeol’s mind went blank. The men took this as their opportunity to lunge on him and lock him firmly against the ground.

“Find the switch that turns him off.” The female professor commanded.

With all his might Chanyeol managed to look up, but he wished he hadn’t. In front of him was Baekhyun hopelessly wrestling against three men to break free from their holds. The room was filled up by the human boy’s broken screams.

“LET GO OF HIM!!” Baekhyun’s beautiful face was now stained by streaks of hot desperate tears.

Chanyeol too struggled against the deathly harsh grip on him, but there was no chance he could escape. He wanted to scream too, but nothing came out from his lips. Baekhyun was a teary mess and that was the very last thing Chanyeol wished to witness before he was shut off once again.

“Baek-”

Everything within Chanyeol switched off.

Baekhyun could only watch heart-wrenchingly as the one he cared most about fell into a limp state. They switched off Chanyeol. THOSE DEVILS-

The grips on him loosened and Baekhyun took this as his chance to pounce forward and away from those monsters. No one stopped him when he cradled Chanyeol’s head into his arms. The female professor signalled for the others to remain still.

“Baekhyun.” She uttered with that ugly voice of hers. “Just hand him over and everything will be fine.”

The said university student could see the other men slowly inching forward.

“NO HE’S MINE!!” Baekhyun hoarsely cried as more crystal tears wetted his delicate eyelashes, then rolled down pale cheeks. His small trembling figure was tightly pressed against cold metal, merely hoping for his warmth to awaken the humanoid from his slumber. “DON’T TOUCH CHANYEOL!”

But it was hopeless. The female professor now signalled for the men to charge ahead.

“Please.” The human boy’s voice shattered to a tiny whisper but grew louder and fearful as those men approached. “Please don’t take him away. Please! Please!! PLEASE!”

Despite his protests, monster-like claws captured Chanyeol’s form and threw Baekhyun to the side. With all his remaining strength he crawled toward the lifeless humanoid, only to be pressed down by the three men once again.

“This is for the good of the government, and yourself.” Out of nowhere, professor Joonmyeon voice echoed across the room. “Think of it this way, you are contributing a great deal to the world.”

It was him who informed the university of Chanyeol! And the university must have delivered the information the government!!!

THAT SON OF A BITCH DESERVED TO DIE AND RO-

Baekhyun then heard a crunch, like separation of metal from metal-

“NO!!!” He screamed powerlessly as he watched Chanyeol being dismantled right in front of his eyes. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!? STOP!! GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF HIM!!!”

“Please Baekhyun.” Professor Joonmyeon calmly mentioned. “The labs across the nations must see this. Like you said, the future is fascinating indeed.”

The further Baekhyun struggled, the tighter he was being held, and the more he cried and wailed, the quicker those dirty hands moved in disassembling Chanyeol. In that moment, Baekhyun felt like he was the one being dismantled instead. His heart was ripped into bits as pieces of Chanyeol were placed into large dark boxes.

No! This wasn’t happening. Baekhyun shook his head with desperation and denial. THIS WASN’T REAL!!

Death had already gathered half of Baekhyun’s soul and tossed it into the great oceans. This couldn’t be the end to Chanyeol!! There were still so much they had to do, together, in happiness…

All Baekhyun ever wanted was to see Chanyeol smile.

Everything was now ruined, and he was the only one to blame.

Baekhyun should’ve never acted so selfishly. He should’ve have never allowed this to happen. He should’ve never offered Chanyeol to come with him.

Yes, he was the one who ruined everything, who shattered their future ahead.

Once those men were finished, they took away every segment of Chanyeol and locked Baekhyun within the room. With no more energy remaining, the human boy merely collapsed against the shut door and wept in silence. For two days he was locked inside without any food or water, and during those two days Baekhyun remained in his position at the door, where he fell asleep from crying, had dreams of Chanyeol being taken away, woke up with more tears on his face, and repeated the same pattern again and again.

Baekhyun must’ve shed enough tears to last a whole lifetime.

By the time they unlocked his door, Baekhyun was kept at close watch by two of those men that held him back. How much he wanted to punch them in the face and break every bone in their bodies, but he couldn’t. And by that time he finally stepped out from his room, Chanyeol was already sent to locations across the nation.

Baekhyun couldn’t do anything. He was so powerless.

The university had banned him from leaving the campus. It felt as if the whole world was preventing Baekhyun from saving the one he loved. Yes, he loved Chanyeol, truly with everything he had. Baekhyun was yet to properly confess his true feelings but the chance was mercilessly snatched away by this harsh reality.

Baekhyun just wanted to escape, so, so badly.

The university student skipped all his classes and chose to lock himself inside his dormitory room – the single place where those men couldn’t watch him with their eagle eyes. Maybe the case wasn’t completely hopeless. Maybe, maybe if Baekhyun prayed hard enough he would find a way to get Chanyeol back. If only he could turn back time-

Time.

_Time leaping_

Baekhyun rushed off of his bed, grabbed the golden teleportation device from his drawer and slammed the door open, surprising the men outside.

“I.. eh… need some time.” He pretended to shed some more tears. “I want to be alone, but not inside my room- not where it happened. Is it okay if I just wander around for ten minutes? I need some fresh air.”

Those two men were sympathetic enough to step aside and let Baekhyun head off. The moving hands on the clock suddenly became his best of friends and worst of enemies. There was only a limited amount of time for Baekhyun so he must do this fast.

As he turned from the corridor, the university student dashed toward the labs. This was it, his only chance on meeting Chanyeol once again and escaping from this nightmare of a reality. He was so close! So close!

They said a little push was all you needed to achieve the unimaginable. The forceful determination to save Chanyeol and himself was more than a little push for Baekhyun at this moment as he bolted breathlessly into a specific lab. Thankfully the classes were already finished and there was no one inside. For the first time Baekhyun was thankful for the fact that the university never bothered to lock the doors of classrooms.

He carefully stepped inside.

This was it.

Baekhyun took out the golden device, which he never returned back. The engineering teams were still working on enhancing the portals so they could operate according to activities and movements of the human brain. This was so extremely risky, and it was possible Baekhyun would never make it to the other side. But the university student never learnt how to manually program the portal to head to a specific time or location. It was his only option.

He could do this. He must do this. For Chanyeol!

With clicks on a few keys one of the portals switched on. In Baekhyun’s head there was only a small specific and solid image of a certain humanoid. He hoped it was enough to send him to the other side.

All Baekhyun could think about was Chanyeol, Chanyeol, and Chanyeol. He didn’t care what would happen in the future now, because all he wanted was to have the humanoid by his side. It was all he wished for.

Baekhyun took his leap. He squeezed shut his hopeful eyes.

~*~

_13 th of December, 2703_

For Chanyeol, it was another night patrolling the hallways of the Capital Headquarters. He was all by himself this night, since only few officials were present today. With feet together, the humanoid scanned across the corridor. Everything was silent, as if the whole world was on shut down mode. Somehow the lack of sounds offered Chanyeol a sense of comfort. At least he knew no one was in trouble or in need of his help. The next assessment was approaching soon.

Now, more often than not, Chanyeol would find his mind drifting off, wondering what the world outside the headquarters looked like. Would he finally witness the four seasons and skies filled by a million shades of scarlet and blue? Would he eventually break free from humans’ control?

He hurriedly shook his head. No, he couldn’t afford to think about those things. This, this was his destiny, to serve as part of the security squad until the day when he could no longer perform his job. Yes, that was his only purpose in this world.

A sudden crash came from a turn, and the humanoid rushed to the location with pistol ready in one hand. His arms lifted up, aiming the gun toward the dark form on the ground. It rose up, until the shape of a human was completely visible to Chanyeol. He waited for the person to move first, perhaps launch his attack on the humanoid.

The male in front of him seemed rather young compared to those old politicians, perhaps in his early twenties. He stood there, frozen on the spot as small tremors shook his small frame. Slowly, Chanyeol lowered his weapon.

Why? What was happening to his body? Why was he acting without following the demands of his brain!? Chanyeol didn’t know what was occurring to him as he stared into the other’s eyes. Did they contain the ability to control a robot’s movements?

But those orbs, shining beneath the bright lights of the hallway, as they peered into Chanyeol’s pair. So mesmerizing, as they spoke of thousands of words the humanoid could not grasp. And strangely, they drew Chanyeol in with each and every step he took subconsciously toward the much smaller male.

Still gazing into his eyes, Chanyeol saw tears slid down the other’s pale cheeks, every drop like a precious gem of diamond. The humanoid completely dropped his arms to his sides, unable to blink as the other male did something he never saw coming.

He smiled.

It was so beautiful, as if everything lovely in the world combined to produce that ethereal expression. Yet at the very same time, Chanyeol could feel pain behind the gleaming eyes and flushed cheeks. How could a mere stranger, who could possibly cause harm here, contain such an impact on him?

The human boy looked down and slowly, those red lips opened. What was he going to say-

“H-hi.” His voice was shaky, hesitant and barely audible, but nonetheless beautiful. “My name is Byun Baekhyun. You may not know me, b-but that’s fine.”

More tears, and the stranger smiled even wider down at the ground.

 “A-and just so you know, I’m sorry for making the decision that harmed both of us. It was so selfish of me to do so. I have never thought about all the possible impacts and results for bringing you with me. I am just so foolish.”

For the second time he stared into Chanyeol’s orbs, but the humanoid still had no clue what words those sad beautiful eyes were trying so hard to convey.

But, god, they were almost hypnotising.

“Please don’t hate me. Please… I am so sorry Chanyeol.”

The humanoid was immediately taken aback. “How do you know my name?”

The stranger harshly wiped away his tears and exposed his pearly teeth through a broken hearted, yet charming grin. “Because, you always remember the name of the one you love. That name has already planted its spot in your heart, so no matter what happens, it will always be there.”

There was a small period of silence.

“I missed you Chanyeol.” _And I love you._

-END-


End file.
